Officials of self-defence militias set up by the regional government have told the media that Boko Haram jihadists attacked a group of herdsmen, killing 17 herdsmen and stealing their cattle in a grazing field near the village of Airamne, located in northeast Nigeria.
Militia leader Babakura Kolo explained that despite the herders’ resistance, they were outnumbered by the jihadists who had weapons.
Boko Haram and the rival jihadist group Islamic State in West Africa (ISWAP), which is the most dominant group in northeastern Nigeria, have increasingly attacked civilians, farmers and herders, accusing them of spying for the local army.
According to the UN, the 13-year-old conflict between the authorities and the jihadists has cost 40,000 lives and driven two million people from their homes.